Alexander said the authority hired a construction manager, Gary Brown, to serve as owner’s representative and deal with the contractors doing the work. Brown has managed the construction of Comerica Park, Ford Field and other major projects in the state.

The five-member Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority meets every two weeks for updates on the progress of the construction, the schedule and the amount of money spent. In the weeks the authority doesn’t meet, three of the members who serve on the capital improvement subcommittee meet to watch things.

On the committee are Macomb County’s representative, Joseph Abdoo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers; Oakland County’s representative, Michael Carroll, the chief financial officer of construction firm George W. Auch, and Waymon Guillebeaux, executive vice president of the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.

Bero said the authority had budgeted $35 million for glass work on the project, but when it was put out for bid, the lowest bid came in at $45 million.

“Their means and methods were the best,” Bero said. “So we went to them and said we’re going to approve you, but you’ve got to get $10 million out of this project.”

After revisiting the original drawings, the authority realized some of the glass curtain wall facing the river didn’t contribute to the interior view, just the exterior design.

“They asked: Why are we putting that extra glass in there?” Bero said. “It’s critical, the level of oversight that we get from our board.”

The contractor changed the design to end the glass where the brick begins.